The Care and Feeding of Your Duck
by Silverhare
Summary: Ahiru has the best possible human taking care of her, in her opinion.


Ahiru thinks Fakir could write a book called _How to Spoil Your Duck_. He wouldn't, of course, even if she told him this opinion, largely because there aren't any ducks like her that could be treated the way he treats her with the same results, but nevertheless he's become an expert by now, at least when it comes to her. And she wouldn't want it any other way.

After she came to live with him, he read book after book on ducks and how to properly take care of them. Some were from the library, and a couple were ones he'd already owned for years (seeing them on his shelf still makes her feel all warm inside, and a little giggly). The last thing he wants is to make some mistake that results in her getting sick or hurt, after all, so he felt he needed to know everything there is to know about ducks, even if not all of it applies to her, and he didn't remember everything he'd learned when he first got the books he owns as a precocious child eager to learn about his favorite animal. He's pretty much memorized all the really important stuff now, though he checks back whenever he isn't sure about something.

One of the things he's read about is the very real risk of lameness. Being kept on a hard floor causes it, so once he read that he went and got the softest rugs he could find to completely cover his bedroom floor with, to give her a place where she can walk around comfortably. Everywhere else, he carries her around in order to protect her little feet, and often even when he doesn't really need to, just to be careful. She doesn't mind; she likes being held by him, after all. And even though he doesn't say it, and though she knows he really is trying to keep her healthy first and foremost, they both know that some of it is because he loves holding her just as much as she loves being held.

This has inevitably resulted in some questions from people who've spotted them on their way to the lake and marvel at how Fakir has managed to make a duck so docile that she'll let him carry her for as long as he does. When pressed about it, he carefully recites information from the books about the proper way to pick up and carry ducks, and lies that he sets her down every once in a while so that she doesn't become restless and afraid. (It's actually quite the opposite - she's been known to fuss when he puts her down before she's ready.) None of them will ever find a duck quite like Ahiru, of course, but the people who have known Fakir since his childhood know that he's always had an affinity for ducks, so let them think that this is some innate gift he possesses. To some people, he's simply "the weird guy who has a pet duck", and that's okay too. He doesn't try to explain it to them, because there's no way he could make anyone understand how much she means to him without making himself sound much weirder, and he doesn't care about their opinions anyway.

Wild ducks, like she presumably is (they still haven't figured that out; he asked her about her mother and siblings after reading a particular passage, but she doesn't remember them, which is strange to say the least), don't sleep deeply, and have to remain on guard. Yet Ahiru sleeps soundly and deeply, so much so that if he's careful, Fakir can even move her from one spot to another without waking her. She did so as a girl too, but as a duck, she thinks it's because she feels so safe with him that she can completely relax and let her guard down. When he asked, almost shyly, if her unusual sleep patterns are because she feels safe there, she confirmed it for him and had the pleasure of seeing his face light up with a quiet joy unlike anything she'd ever seen in him before.

He teased her once, after reading about how some ducks can be trained to do tricks, by asking if she wanted him to try teaching her something. When she quacked indignantly at him, he laughed and said that dancing ballet was enough of one, really, and offered to dance with her if she wanted to. Needless to say, that produced a much more favorable reaction, and they do so most days. It's more awkward than it was when they were boy and girl instead of boy and duck, and certain adjustments have had to be made for the difference in their sizes, but she still gets to experience the joy of dancing, and that's the most important part.

He's read everything about what foods are best for, and preferred by, ducks as well, and defers also to her own particular tastes. She never wants for food and always enjoys what he prepares specially for her (though sometimes she insists on sampling some of what he's having, and he never minds sharing). They eat together, always, with her comfortably perched on a soft cushion atop the table next to him. He talks to her, and she quacks back, and the contentment that settles over both of them is palpable. And afterwards, at night, he takes her back upstairs and reads her a story before she falls asleep, holding her close the whole time. Sometimes, if it's been a long day, he'll drift off too, with the light on and her still in his arms. Usually when that happens, he'll jerk back awake after a while and set her on her own little bed before turning the light off, but he's also been known to sleep through the night like that from time to time.

Ahiru remembers when she thought that returning to this state meant being alone. Instead, it means being with Fakir. Has any other duck ever been so lucky as she is? She doesn't think so.


End file.
